The Black Rock Gazette

L e a v e
N o
T r a c e
Sunday, September 5, 1999
T
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1999:
BLACK ROCK CITY POPULATION:
22,995
DUMPING
All week we KNOW you’ve been diligently
bundling up all of your refuse, working hard to
leave no trace. Now it’s time to go, and you’re
probably wondering how long you’ve got to
hang on to the Hefties. Here are some nearby
dump sites (all sites are open on Labor Day):
RENO: Reno Transfer Station
1492 East Commercial Row. Hours: 8 AM to 6
PM on Sun and Mon, 6 AM - 6 PM Tue-Fri.
Charge: $3.65 per cubic yard. Directions: Take
I-80 W past Sparks Nugget. Take “East 4th
Street” exit, turn left. Turn left on Sage Street,
go one block to E. Commercial Row. Transfer
Station is a few blocks up on the right.
RENO: Lockwood Landfill, 100 Vassar Street,
Reno. Hours: 8 AM - 4:30 PM Sunday, 8 AM 4:30 PM Mon-Fri. Charge: $2.40 per cubic yard.
Directions: Unknown, call 775-329-8822.
FERNLEY: Fernley Sanitation
(unknown)
Call 775-575-4964. Charge: $3.85 per cubic
yard. Directions: Take I-80 E. Get off on the
first Fernley exit (most westerly) and take a
right. Proceed south towards downtown. Turn
right onto Highway 95. Across the canal, turn
left on the dirt road where there is a building
clearly marked “Public Refuse Disposal.”
The Naked Truth:
S P E C I A L
PERMIT FORE D
Keeping
in
touch
I
N
BURNING
MAN
2000
E
D
by Zac Bolan
BLM refuses appeal, citing “environmental catastrophe” in ‘99
SPACE:
If you’re in orbit, just dump your shit anywhere. There’s already so much floating debris
surrounding Earth, no one will notice.
Photo by Donn ©1999
BOMB RUMOR
Big Bear said the rumors about the composition of the bomb (ammonium nitrate & diesel)
are false. He and Washoe and Pershing
County sheriffs are still looking for any leads
on the person who planted and set off the
bomb. A reward of $3500 is offered by the
sheriff’s departments and Burning Man.
Also, the Rangers are requesting the identity
of the man who fell from the tower yesterday.
If you know his name, please let the Rangers
know. They are at 6:05 Center Camp.
Illustration by Pat Moran ©1999
Leave No Trace
Photo by Bryce Perry ©1999
All Hail! the lamplighters that light your way home.
Bryce Perry ©1999
A N N O U N C E M E N T
Moments after midnight, Saturday, The Black Rock Gazette newspaper was notified of its nomination for the prestigious Playatzer Prize for journalism. The Black Rock Gazette: The Naked Truth Since 1992 is the leading daily newspaper serving the citizens of Black Rock City, the 5th largest city in Nevada. The Black Rock Gazette is not to be confused with The Other Black Rock Gazette, The Fake Black Rock Gazette, or The Bogus
or Seriously Lame Black Rock Gazettes (now in preparation for Burning Man 2000.)
July 4, 2000 — Winnemucca, NV — The
Bureau of Land Management today denied without comment an appeal by organizers of the
Burning Man festival to grant a usage permit for
the Black Rock Desert, effectively ending Burning
Man’s stormy tenure on Nevada public lands.
In denying the appeal by Black Rock City
LLC, federal officials let stand an earlier ruling
that blasted Burning Man for multiple permit violations during last year’s event, an offbeat “desert
arts” festival and “temporary autonomous zone”
that attracted over 20,000 free-spirited revelers
from around the world, many of them naked.
Despite the sustained efforts of Burning Man volunteers to clean up after the week-long party, the
BLM’s report cited a “massive scar” of highimpact land use on the Playa, windblown trash in
a 50-mile radius from the event site, and roadside
trash all the way to Sparks and beyond. The
strongly-worded ruling called the event an “environmental catastrophe,” and said the explosion of
trash into surrounding areas was “like a bomb
hitting a landfill.”
The Governor’s office applauded today’s
decision, calling it “a victory for our wilderness
lands,” and added that he would “definitely consider” deploying National Guard troops to prevent
any “uninvited guests” from violating the government edict.
Burning Man organizers appeared demoralized by the decision; only one returned our calls.
Speaking from the group’s San Francisco headquarters, “Mistress of Communications” Marian
Goodale called the ruling “A blow, definitely a
blow,” but went on to cite the event’s positive
economic impact and long history of satisfactory
land use. “Our people are still out there cleaning
up, and in fact they are out there doing it yearround as BLM volunteers. We are net-positive on
the environment. Really. We just had a bad year.”
Meanwhile in Washington, the Sierra Club
continued to push for legislation that would designate the Black Rock Desert a protected wilderness. “This is a magnificent and extraordinary
place,” said Sierra Clubspokesman Jack Lopes in a
press conference earlier this week. “Its beauty lies
primarily in its emptiness, and we must struggle
to preserve that.”
In the town of Gerlach, Burning Man’s closest neighbor, most people lamented the passing of
a cash cow. But a man calling himself Raven,
from the nearby Planet Y Commune, called the
ruling a blessing. “They lost their respect for the
land, if they ever had it,” he said. “It’s time they
took their party somewhere else.”
Editor’s Note: this item was downloaded
from Infohazard.com via Danger Ranger’s suborbital intertemporal intercept array, waylaid from a
possible future near you. Only you can keep it
from happening here now. — Stuart Mangrum
Saying Goodbye again
Keeping the flame alive is easier these days.
Naturally you’ve already arranged ways to contact those new friends who didn’t slip away into
the night. Burning Man provides a number of
ways to keep in touch with that burning feeling
(no, not the indigestion).
Burners with internet access can visit the
Burning Man website at www.burningman.com
for the up-to-the-minute poop on events as well
as invaluable information about survival on the
playa and more. The website also contains an
archive of the history of Burning Man and profiles of the folks who work so hard to make it all
happen. First-time and potential attendees will
find it particularly informative.
The Burning Man e-playa is a sophisticated
digital bulletin board system. This resource can be
accessed through the website where you may also
find a favorite feature, chat rooms.
E-mail-enhanced citizens can subscribe to
The Jack Rabbit Speaks, an informative, timely
and entertaining electronic newsletter by Maid
Marian, Mistress of Communication. You can find
information on how to subscribe through the
Burning Man website.
Regional contacts are the outposts of
Burning Man. Their e-mail addresses can be
found in the Burning Man e-playa. These regioncontinued on page 2
by Sister Dana Van Iquity
WEL-CUM TO THE BURN EDITION!!!
Like the magical town of Brigadoon, Black
Rock City is about to vanish into the whirling
dervishes of the playa for the final time this millennium. For many it is a time of reflection. For
many it is a time for a long-overdue shower and
a hot meal prepared by someone with clean hands.
For me it marks the end of the spin-dry cycle from
my annual trip to the Emotion Laundrette. In
short, I laughed, I cried, I drank spooge.
For most citizens of Black Rock City, the
burning of the Man releases us from a week of
servitude to the elementals — Earth, Air, Fire and
Water — and marks the beginning of another year
in the artificial world. We all try to take some part
of the playa experience home with us. Months
from now you may open a dusty day-pack and a
half-empty water bottle will fall to your feet, jarring memories of the cool evening air coercing
you into the arms of that special soulmate who
shared Pepe’s opera with you before vanishing
forever into the dust and smoke.
Strong relationships are forged in Black
Rock City in a mysteriously short period of time.
Shared pain, heartache, beauty and joy form
This is the exit edition of the Black Rock
Gazette, and thankfully the LAST time you have
to read Sister Dana’s stinkin’ column. Woohoo!
For the time being I shall become a teaching nun. Class, take out your pencils and papers
because I want you to follow this assignment:
Write an essay on “What I Did Over My Summer
Vacation.” I am assuming this will entail experiences you had at Burning Man.
Name as many ways as you can to describe
your participation rather than spectation. [Yes, I
know that isn’t a real word, but deal with it, kids!]
Other than The Man, what was your
favorite fire? Your favorite art installation? The
most memorable costumes you saw? What
improvements would you like to see in the Black
Rock Gazette [and don’t you dare say “Fire Sister
Dana!”] Name some of the special new friends
you have made.
This might get a little sentimental, because
Burning Man is all about meeting new folk,
bonding, and then taking that emotion home
with you. But it needn’t stop there. You can still
keep in touch. All you need is a computer and a
modem, and the willingness to give up all aspects
continued on page 2
continued on page 2
by zman
Sister Dana Sez...
continued from page 1
of your usual life, because once you get plugged
into the Burning Man e-mail list you will not
have a life ever ever again!
The Burning Man cyberworld is almost as
much fun as being on the playa. In fact, you
might want to put some playa dust on top of
your monitor, just to get in the right mood. But
don’t get any on your keyboard!
But I digress. Butt I dye dresses. Someone
please stop me, I am having one of my episodes
where I just go off on a tangent and...{taking a slug
of Sierra Nevada Porter}...ahhhhhh, that’s better.
So what I was saying is you can still keep
in touch with the Burning Man freeeks via the
Internet [or “NET” as we ‘puter geeks say]. And
it’s free free free! So far Ma Bell has not gotten
her way by charging for each email sent over the
phone lines. You can “talk” to your fellow
Burners in Europe, fer chrissakes, and not pay a
dime. Screw the phone company! Yeehaw!
Here is what you need to do: call up the
Burning Man list site [www.burningman.com]
and register yourself with our wonderful list
monitor, Eric [or as we call him in his tired old
peach dress—Ereeeka Frogman, cuz he’s French,
ya see]. Eric has been facilitating the list for
years, and deserves a big hug and a bottle of
Veuve Cliquot. Then...bing bang boom, yer on
the list. But I should warn you, the list is anything but Burning Man related; it becomes a kind
of daily soap opera/sitcom/gossip column.
Newbies will complain that we are not “sticking
to the thread,” but hell, there’s only so much we
need to know about PVC, rebar stakes, and camouflage netting. It’s also the perfect place to
bitch about what didn’t go right on the playa and
what did go excellently. Perfect place to vent and
rant and rave, but be gentle...this is family.
All right, class. Time’s up. Pencils down.
Remember to leave no trace [or for the dyslexic—
trace no leaves]. Now I want you to go home and
write 100 times “I will never again mess the seats
in the portapotties.”
Photo by Bryce Perry ©1999
Leaving Black Rock
by Eilish Nagle
ººBlack Rock was water once an ocean 'til someone oops
pulled the plug and mastodons blinded by salt and sunlight
surrendered their skills you can see what held it together
by what is left, the space asks you to abandon something
beyond rusted transmissions, bucket seats
which carry you to an empty place to fill you up,
put heart and sweat into building something
--dreams turned in your hands like pinchpots
greenware, boneware, stoneware, stone-fired in the kilns of wanting
what you sacrifice must be beautiful, the barter
must be meaningful you cannot trade a few used D-batteries
for the silk slip someone loved her in
you cannot trade a short shabby wicker man
for all your ills purged on this playa, you need something
bigger than mile after mile of clean slate bone white clay,
salt that leaves its signature in cracks, little hexagons
of alkaline, silicates of soil taking their place in ordered chaos
telling you what it is in its breaking apart
(gypsum in your pores after three days of salt walking
Phrase Generator
Each of the four columns below. These
may then be strung together in a sequence. The
Burning Man Phrase Generator (c) is capable of
generating 160,000 colorful descriptions. It has
been thoroughly tested.
Burning Man is a:
proto
hippie
apocalyptic
freakfest
neo
pagan
cyber
be-in
pyro
deadhead
millennial
rave
ur
anarchist
dada
happening
post
erotic
surreal
hoedown
sub
hipster
drug-induced
orgy
crypto techno
mind-altering
phantasmagoria
homo
tribal
counter-culture riot
anti
cultural
nihilistic
love-in
“Nice Smile, Maggot!” Driven-Please drink
and drive
By Carol Steele
Black Rock Boot Camp at 4:20 Earth has a
mission to prepare us all for war. War against
stuffed animals and possibly the impending
apocalypse. There are live fire drills held every
day at 4:20, training is very intense and there
have been some water injuries. Grunts start out
the drill by running through tires, then you must
shoot tweety and some other yellow abomination (extra points for kicking tweety), fall on the
ground and crawl under the sparkle barbed wire,
finally run through the stuffed animal maze and
shoot them all. Don’t forget the skeletons at the
end. You will get a shot of something alcoholic
at the end or a hug. This of course is all under
live fire, watch out, you might get wet!
Participants get uplifting things yelled at them,
things like Watch that Barney you maggot! Are
you ready for the challenge?
Saying Goodbye...
cont’d from page 1
bonds stronger than any other in that surreal
world we inhabit for the rest of the year. Then
the Black Rock citizenry disperses to the farthest
reaches of the planet, and we grieve.
Some may never return, but the love and
the friendships found in the night winds swirling
across the playa endure forever. This can complicate those “other” 51 weeks as surges of emotional forces push us toward radical life-altering
changes. The results are inevitably wonderful,
but the transitions wrenching. Prepare, knowing
there’s nothing we can do to avoid this.
The playa experience is ephemeral. We
couldn’t perpetuate our sprawling technological
shanty-metropolis even if we could endure its
harshness. With the coming of the renewing
waters of a desert winter, our sins and treasures
will be erased forever, as if with the shake of an
Etch-a-sketch.
The flame we carry away from this playa is
perhaps our greatest treasure. We must cherish
and protect it from the sterile unreality we are
about to endure. Put that flame in a tiny crystal
jar and carry it in your heart until once again
you can bounce playa-ward along the gate road
at 10 mph and read those wonderful signs. And
the cycle begins again.
Saying goodbye, gathering those phone
numbers or e-mail addresses and leaving no
trace are just some of the things that will distract
you as you pack your vision into your car, truck
or school bus for that long journey to your other
home. You might even make it to Empire or
Winnemucca before it really hits you. Then you
pull onto the shoulder of the road and say goodbye again.
See you on the playa next year.
supra
communal ecstatic
nightmare
Keeping In Touch
parched skin like your arizona grandma's bare heels
torn and feathered at the back)
the fissures map the way in,
unravel the seamstress' jagged pattern
someone was born here at dawn
pre
archaic
primordial
meltdown
retro
esotric
futuristic
mindmeld
slipped like a trout from her dark wet sack,
took the hero's journey from fin to foot
into the light, eyes squinched shut
you have to make the journey you have to bring
your water you have to shape your survival.
meta
druiditic
post-modern
pow wow
trans
weirdo
naked
lollapalooza
al contacts are experienced burners and an
excellent resource for a variety of questions you
might have. These contacts may also host
regional events where you can gather with people in your own community who still have playa
dust under their fingernails.
Currently Burning Man has regional contacts in the following regions: Alabama, Arizona,
Austin, Australia, Baltimore, Berlin, Boston,
Canada, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Europe, Florida,
Houston, Idaho, Japan, Las Vegas, Los Angeles,
Minnesota, New Orleans, New York, North
Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh,
Portland, Reno, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San
Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Santa
Barbara, Seattle, United Kingdom, Vancouver,
and Wisconsin, with more to come.
Well, that’s about it for another magical
week on the playa. Have a safe drive home, see
you next year.
why don't you turn buddy,
your blinker's been on
for jeezus knows how long
specto deadbeat
ritualistic
extravaganza
semi
narcissistic
rampage
bohemian
nerdo
alternative life-style
burn-o-rama
inter
visionary
iconoclastic
confab
exo
satanic
renegade
conspiracy
intra
psycho
underground
revolution
Bernie’s Index
Two cosmopolitan cities in unique flat regions, known for their arts and culture, in which
pedestrian travel predominates and auto travel is banned,
and which once yearly are filled with masked and costumed revelers:
Venice, Italy; Black Rock City, Nevada
•
Amount of time lost or gained by the average sprint-wound wrist-watch: 1–2 seconds per week
by a cesium atomic clock: less than 1 second every 1,000,000 years
by attendance at Burning Man: several lifetimes
Publisher. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operations Manager . . . . .
Managing Editor . . . . . . .
Copy Editor . . . . . . . . . . .
Production & Design Manager
Photo Manager/WebMaster . . . .
I.T. Systems . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vicki Olds
Zac Bolan
Fang
Ember
Maha Shamiyeh
Steve Piasecki
Ronen Ben-Hai,
Blue Collar Bob, zman
Publication Team
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Distribution . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Columnists . . . . .
Cartoons . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
Mambo, Patty Meyers,
. . . . . . .
Ed Ingraham, Renny Hart
. . . . . . .
David & Bryan Pon,
Hub Camp, Disgruntled Postal Workers
Sister Dana Van Iquity, Susan Kirr
. . . . . . .
Pat Moran, Dave Cherry
In This Edition
Guest Editor . . . . . . . . . .
Lessley Anderson
continued from page 1
d
"Consciousness satisfies emotion by the
physical actions it selects in the midst of turbulent sensation." — Edward O. Wilson
Feature Writers . . . . . . . .
Stuart Mangrum,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
zman, Zac Bolan
Contributing Writers . . . . .
Carole Steele, Susan Kirr,
. . . . . . Minch, Ellish Nagle, Hardman, Andros Sturgeon,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gary Cairney, Gusty Kundahl, LessElf
Photographers . . . . . . . . .
Bryce Perry, Donn
Bernie’s Index . . . . . . . . .
Shibumi, Ember
Special Thanks . . . . . . . . .
Maid Marian & The Hat
The Black Rock Gazette is a public information service staffed by Burning Man volunteers. email: brgazette@burningman.com
Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the playa chicken.
Read at your own risk.
Black Rock City LLC ©1999
Recycled
Paper
By Minch
A trio of computer folk were settled into
bar stools as the rolling bar drove through the
dark playa. “If I’m designing a website [for a
client],” one programmer slurs to his two companions, “I figure how many hours I’ll need to
complete it, and then multiply that by $65. Then
I triple it.” Snickers. These computer nerds know
that the suits don’t understand the blinking box
on the desks, they’re fish in a barrel for those in
the know. Meanwhile, the bar’s driver Dave worries about litigation. His converted bus is lined
with bar stools, happy patrons clinging to the bar
as their ride bumps and rolls over the playa.
Dave knows that even with the spirit of Burning
Man, there’s always someone who will sue. The
barstool lawyers debate whether a judge would
even listen to a case involving a moving bar. The
consensus is “no.” Someone comments that these
are the first bar stools that actually could benefit from seat belts. A bicyclist pedaling alongside
topples over, prompting a worried look from
Dave. “It’s all right,” someone calls out. “You
didn’t hit him.” The bar rolls into the night,
headlamps simultaneously illuminating and
leading the aimless path.
The Playa Gourmet
By Susan Kirr
The Playa Gourmet held court at the Black
Rock Gazette office yesterday and tasted a
parade of delectable submissions to our gourmet
cooking contest. One clever fellow even brought
his Coleman stove over to our offices and
sauteed sweet potato and cranberry dumplings
on the spot. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Overall I have to say that I'm very
impressed with what you folks are cooking out
there. If food is an expression of creativity (and
it most certainly is,) then you guys rock!
Our grand prize winner is Mikey, a k a
Sioen Roux of the Disco Headhunters Camp.
Mikey prepared a California Breakfast Scramble
made with tofu that appealed to both vegetarian
and non-vegetarian staff alike. The scramble met
several of my key criteria: It was deceptively
simple, and made with fresh ingredients and
great seasonings. All the flavors melded together in a very harmonious way, creating a consensus among our group that it was tops. Kudos to
Mikey!
Second prize went to Scott Grenier of DJ
Christ Superstar camp. Scott must have spent a
considerable amount of time in the kitchen stirring a portobello mushroom risotto made with
fresh Italian parsley, goat chesse, and parmesan
cheese. The risotto had a nice, smooth texture
and was bursting with intense flavors.
Mark Greiner was our third place winner
with a penne pasta in a marsala cream sauce
cooked with ham and mushrooms. The staff
agreed that the sauce was very distinctive, and
that the marsala added a lot of zing to the rich,
creamy sauce.
Thanks to all who entered and took the
time and trouble to enter our contest. Our hungry staff thanks you. Keep on cooking!
The winning recipe:
C ALIFORNIA B REAKFAST S CRAMBLE
tofu
butter
nutritional yeast
tofu scrambler seasonings
packet of instant Hollandaise sauce
asparagus
zucchini
mushrooms
onions
spinach
garlic Tabasco sauce
Crumble tofu. Fry the crumbled tofu with
butter (for a long time). Add the yeast and tofu
scrambler. In a separate pan, sautee fresh asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, and spinach
in a little butter. Toss with the tofu and serve
with garlic Tabasco. Incredible!